


Off His Back

by heyjupiter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:30:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20851211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: Five times Tony gave Bruce a shirt + one time he took it off.





	Off His Back

**Author's Note:**

> Endgame? I don't know her, I'm back on my 2012 bullshit.
> 
> This is for [Bruce Banner Bingo](https://twentyghosts.tumblr.com/brucebingo), to fulfill the square that's just a picture of Bruce in his iconic purple shirt, as well as for the 5+1 square on my Science Bros Bingo card.
> 
> Thanks to volunteerfd for beta reading! ♥

1)

Tony's brain could handle a lot, but it was still struggling to process everything that had just happened. Aliens had attacked New York—but they'd been defeated. He'd been willing to die to save the city—but he'd lived. His new friend Bruce believed that his green alter ego was a senseless rage monster—but the Hulk had saved Tony. And now the Hulk was quietly following Tony and the rest of the Avengers on foot through the remains of the city.

It seemed unfair that they still had work to do, but as Tony well knew, life wasn't fair. At least they didn't have far to walk back to Stark Tower, where Loki was presumably—hopefully—still scheming. Tony glanced back at the Hulk. "You coming, Big Guy?"

Hulk stretched his giant arms and looked around. "Bad guys gone."

"Very observant. But there's still one left."

Hulk made a sound like a sigh and kept following. They made short work of Loki—Thor was apparently equipped with some kind of magical bondage gear, which Tony made a mental note to look into later.

"Hulk...bored." Tony thought quickly for a way to keep the Hulk occupied, but instead, the Hulk began to shrink. The change looked painful, but Tony couldn't look away. Before long, Bruce appeared. He looked around rapidly, obviously disoriented. He'd lost his glasses, shoes, and shirt long ago, but miraculously his shorts stayed with him.

Tony quickly closed the distance between them and smiled at Bruce. "Hey, welcome back!"

"Did I hurt anyone?" Bruce asked anxiously.

"Nope. But you saved me."

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms self-consciously over his bare chest. "Oh. Um, good."

"We won!"

Bruce nodded, his arms still crossed. Tony paused. He knew that Steve and Fury were wary of the way Tony teased Bruce, as if they were old friends rather than two virtual strangers, one of whom transformed into a rage monster under stress. They thought Tony was an asshole with no social skills, a narcissist who didn't know how to treat an unstable genius. Truthfully, Tony had seen the way Bruce reacted to basic human kindness—uncomfortably grateful yet also deeply suspicious—and he hadn't liked it. He preferred to poke and play, to skip the bullshit pleasantries and get into the real shit, and it had seemed that Bruce had liked that too. But sometimes there was simply nothing to do but be kind, and Tony feared that this was one of those times.

Tony climbed out of his damaged armor, but beneath it he'd still been wearing jeans and a T-shirt layered over a long-sleeved shirt. He pulled off his top layer shirt and handed it to Bruce. "Here." Bruce hesitated for a moment before accepting. "Seriously, I've got a spare. Don't want you to, you know, catch a chill."

Bruce nodded and pulled on the shirt. "Thanks."

"We'll get you something better in a second, but this'll do for now."

Bruce nodded again and his stomach let out a comically-loud rumble.

"Was that _you_?" Tony asked.

"Uh...sorry, I get...hungry...after a, uh, a change," Bruce mumbled.

"God, of course you do, I can't imagine how many calories you just burned. Okay, well, look, I wasn't kidding about shawarma. Let's just put that at the top of the priority list."

"No, it's okay, I can wait," Bruce said, though his growling stomach suggested otherwise. Bruce crossed his arms more tightly across his chest, as if he were holding himself together. 

Tony rolled his eyes. "Thor? We can leave him here for a second, right? That stuff looks pretty sturdy. And JARVIS can keep the tower on lockdown."

"I really should return to Asgard straight away…" Thor said, but he sounded tired.

"C'mon, you gotta fuel up first, and then we'll deal with everything else. Shawarma? We've earned it." Everyone agreed, too tired and hungry to argue, and Tony led them around the block to a literal hole-in-the-wall place. Inside, he could see a few employees already at work cleaning up the aftermath of the Chitauri attack. "Hey," he called through what was left of the door.

"Sorry, we're cl—Tony Stark? Iron Man?"

Tony summoned his brightest smile. "In the flesh. I know you're busy, but any chance you could feed me and a few of my friends? I'll make it worth your while."

"Yes, of course, it would be our honor to feed the Avengers!" 

Tony smiled and waved his teammates over. They all fairly collapsed into chairs at the place's biggest remaining table, and Tony said, "Seriously, we're starving, whatever food you have on hand would be great." Then he remembered something Bruce had casually mentioned earlier, and added, "Uh, and if you've got anything vegetarian…?"

Bruce's look of surprised gratitude made Tony's stomach hurt, although some of that might have been internal bruises; he'd gotten thrown around more than he preferred. Tony shrugged at him and said, "Don't get used to this, by the way—once the city gets set back to rights, you are definitely going to have to wear shoes to get service around here." He made a joke to cover up his regret about not finding shoes for Bruce earlier. He should have thought of that.

Despite Bruce's violation of the New York City health code, their waiter quickly brought them piles of lamb and chicken, along with a plate of falafel that was specially presented to Tony, who nudged it over to Bruce. Bruce nodded his thanks and then started shoving food into his mouth with grim determination. Around him, the Avengers all followed suit, eating simply to refuel, not for any enjoyment. It was a shame, because Tony was pretty sure the food was good. He'd have to come back sometime.

Tony's stomach felt like it might burst, but Bruce was still eating. Tony pushed the rest of his fries over to Bruce, who nodded and kept eating.

When they'd all had their fill at last, Natasha said, "Fury wants us to check in with him."

Tony glanced at Bruce, who looked like he might pass out into his ketchup.

"Fury can wait," Tony said. "We just saved the world, I think we've earned a shower. Maybe a nap, a drink or two."

Natasha and Clint shared an inscrutable glance and shrugged. 

Thor said, "Yes, a drink before my brother and I return to Asgard!"

Steve said, "Fury certainly doesn't mind keeping us waiting. I don't see why we shouldn't do him the same courtesy."

Tony smiled. He left a healthy tip on the table and led his team back to what remained of Stark Tower—it was really in better shape than he'd feared. It had been well-constructed. JARVIS and Pepper helped him point everyone toward functional suites where they could rest and freshen up. 

After his own shower and application of painkillers and clean clothes, Tony went to check on Bruce. JARVIS advised him, "Dr. Banner is asleep." Tony opened the door a crack and smiled at the sight of Bruce, clothed in shredded shorts and Tony's shirt, face-planted on top of a freshly-made bed.

"Let me know when he wakes up, okay, J?"

"Certainly. And may I suggest that you follow suit, Master Stark?"

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute."

"Listen to him, Tony," Pepper said. She'd materialized by his side with a glass of water.

"Pepper…"

"Tony, you were up all night before this even started, reading all those files about nuclear physics or whatever, and then you, and then...you...seriously, just let's go to bed, okay?"

Tony sighed. "Okay."

She pointedly offered him the water, and then she followed his gaze through the door. "Is that—is that the Hulk?"

"No, honey, it's Bruce."

"Right." She nodded and slipped into the room.

Tony opened his mouth to call out after her, but he didn't want to wake Bruce. He knew he should explain the situation to Pepper, who'd read a lot of confidential files over Tony's shoulder and was fully aware of the Hulk's destructive capabilities, but she just opened the suite's linen closet, pulled out a lightweight blanket, and gently placed it over Bruce's sleeping form.

Tony smiled as she returned to him, closing the door firmly behind her. "Now, why don't you try to follow his lead?" she asked.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Tony grumbled, but he really couldn't put up much of a protest when Pepper took him by the hand and guided him to bed.

* * *

2)

Tony was freshly-showered and pacing around the kitchen with a large mug of coffee, pointedly ignoring his phone. Fury wanted the Avengers to, well, assemble for a post-battle meeting. But Tony didn't think they had any business that couldn't wait until Bruce woke up. They'd all been through a lot, but Bruce's transformation seemed to particularly take a lot out of him. Still, he had been asleep for quite some time and Tony was starting to wonder if he should call for medical assistance.

But finally, JARVIS informed him that Bruce was awake. Tony took his coffee and a small bundle down to the guest room where Bruce had passed out.

"Hey, good to see you, big guy," Tony said cheerfully. Bruce blinked and nodded. Tony held out the clean clothes to him. "I figured you might want to shower and put on some clean clothes. These are some of mine, but they should fit you well enough, right?"

Bruce accepted them with a nod and a quiet, "Thanks."

"You okay? Need any painkillers or anything? I...I thought the best thing would be just to let you sleep?"

"No. Yeah. I'm fine, thanks."

"Okay. Well...there's a bathroom in your suite. I'm sure JARVIS can help you if you can't figure it out."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "I know you can't tell it to look at me, but I _have_ showered before."

Tony laughed, relieved to see a bit of Bruce's humor returning. "But not with a StarkTech shower, I bet. Anyway. Enjoy your shower, and then JARVIS can help you to the 50th floor, there's a kitchen there with some breakfast...lunch...brunchy stuff. And if you need anything else, just ask JARVIS, okay?"

Bruce looked around. "Sorry, who's JARVIS?"

"Oh! Right. I didn't get to give you much of a tour yesterday. JARVIS is an AI, he controls a lot of Stark Tower's functionality. And my armor. He's a really busy AI, but I'm sure he'll make time for all of your outrageous demands," Tony said with an easy smile.

Bruce didn't laugh. JARVIS said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Banner. If I may be of any assistance, just speak my name."

"Right. Uh. Thank you, Tony, and, uh, JARVIS. I'm just going to, uh…" Bruce trailed off and waved his hand back into the room.

"Right. I'll see you soon. Fiftieth floor."

Bruce went to shower, and Tony went back to the fiftieth floor. Something about Bruce's manner had made him feel uneasy. A few minutes later, JARVIS said, "Master Stark, Dr. Banner is asking for a pair of shoes. Would you like me to order some or—"

"Shoes! I forgot shoes again. Uh, did he say what size?"

"Ten."

"I'll bring him some," Tony said. All of his favorite clothes had been in the penthouse, and thus were probably all turned to ash, but he had some stuff stored on lower levels. He'd gotten Bruce's incongruously cheerful yellow-and-khaki outfit there, and he was sure he could find some suitable shoes too. He grabbed socks and shoes and returned to Bruce's room.

"Hey, sorry, I forgot."

"Uh, thank you," Bruce said. He leaned against the doorframe casually and pulled on the socks and shoes. Then he offered Tony a handshake and said, "Thanks again. For everything. It was great meeting you."

Tony blinked. "It was great meeting you, too...why does this sound like a goodbye?"

"Because it is," Bruce said ruefully. "I've already stayed in New York too long, I've got to get going…"

"We're all supposed to meet with Fury, like, now," Tony said.

"Then I've _really_ got to get going."

"What are you talking about?"

Bruce sighed. "I—I know it's selfish, but I just—I'd rather be on my own than in whatever box SHIELD wants to put me in."

"SHIELD's not going to put you in a box, Bruce. We're all just going to, you know, debrief, that's all."

"Maybe for you that's all." Bruce shook his head and tried to move down the hallway. Tony put a hand on his shoulder and Bruce stopped.

Tony thought back to the files he'd read about Bruce and took a deep breath. "Look, Bruce, I know you haven't had an easy time these last few years, but...but now you're an Avenger. You're a hero. And if Fury or SHIELD or—or anybody try to make you do something you don't want to do, the team will stand with you. I'll stand with you."

Bruce hesitated, and Tony smiled encouragingly. "Seriously. Stay here in Stark Tower. I guarantee it's more comfortable than wherever you were before, even though we obviously have some construction work ahead of us. I'll get you your own lab, you can work on your own research, whatever you want."

"But…"

"No buts! Look, SHIELD, the Army...they need the Avengers. And they need Stark tech. And they're not going to get it if they bug you. I'm going to make that extremely clear to them."

Bruce gave Tony a long, piercing look and said nothing. "C'mon, you can trust me," Tony insisted. 

Bruce dropped his eyes to his hands and twisted his fingers together. Tony sighed. He'd felt such a connection with Bruce, an instant kinship. He trusted Bruce; he'd assumed the feeling went both ways. Tony hated being wrong.

But then Bruce looked up and met Tony's eyes. He nodded, though he still looked wary. "Well...I guess...if the Other Guy needs to escape, well, the city's already pretty smashed right now anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Tony threw his arm around Bruce's shoulder. "So, first brunch, then a quick little rendezvous with Fury, and then some online shopping, because I really don't think yellow is your color."

* * *

3)

Bruce had only been at Stark Tower for a little over a month, but Tony had already forgotten what it had been like without him. The pair simply worked together well. They were both geniuses, obviously, but they had their own approaches to things—where Tony was bold, Bruce was cautious. Sometimes Tony still preferred to jump in feet-first, but he had to admit there were times when Bruce's triple-checking had saved him some hassle. 

Bruce was also better at taking care of himself than Tony. It was an admittedly low bar to clear, but still—Bruce took breaks to eat, even to cook, something he turned out to be surprisingly good at. He never nagged Tony, but he always offered food, and Tony usually had to admit that he could go for something heartier than his trail mix stash. And Bruce, more often than not, went to bed at what Pepper would pointedly call "a reasonable hour." Tony occasionally tried to convince him to stay up later, but Bruce insisted that it was easier for him to keep the Other Guy at bay if he was well-rested, and so Tony didn't usually try that hard. But, unless Tony was _particularly_ invested in his project, he'd usually follow suit soon after Bruce went to bed. The workshop just wasn't as interesting without Bruce.

Of course, the new routine had required an adjustment period for both of them—Bruce had needed time, and some sophisticated new protocols for JARVIS, before he could even think about relaxing. Truthfully, he still seemed pretty on edge most of the time, but at least he no longer seemed quite so concerned about being snatched by General Ross or smashing up the city. And gradually, he grew less surprised by acts of basic human decency; less startled if Tony brought him a cup of coffee or paid him a compliment. Pepper had compared him to a stray cat who had to gradually warm up to a new home, and Tony didn't think she was entirely off base with that comparison.

For his part, it had taken Tony time to adjust to Bruce's quiet. Tony talked. A lot. He talked to himself, he talked to JARVIS, he talked to his bots, he talked to truly inanimate objects, and he often didn't require a response. Which was good, because Bruce didn't often give him one. At first he'd assumed that Bruce wasn't listening. And sometimes that was the case; sometimes Bruce seemed to retreat deep inside his head. But sometimes, Bruce would listen patiently to Tony's monologues and then spit out a clever solution or sly joke without even looking up from his work. Sometimes, days later, he'd refer to something Tony had off-handedly mentioned.

So at first, Tony didn't think anything of it when Bruce failed to respond while Tony talked his way through a calculation. JARVIS jumped in and helped Tony fix his math. It still didn't look quite right to Tony, so he called out, "Hey Banner, do you think I should try a zeta function?"

Still no response from Bruce, so Tony walked over to the last place he'd seen Bruce. He found his semi-feral lab partner slumped over, asleep at his workstation.

"Aww," Tony said softly. He checked the time; it was pretty late. Bruce must just have gotten caught up in his work and missed his usual bedtime. He thought about waking Bruce, but then he decided he'd take one more stab at his math, and then he'd wake Bruce up on his way out. It was sort of nice to see Bruce so unguarded.

But then, as Tony turned back to his own workstation, Bruce stirred and let out a little sound. Still sleeping, he mumbled some sort of muffled protestation.

"This isn't a Code Green, is it, J?"

"No, sir. I would suggest that Dr. Banner is having a nightmare. His heart rate is elevated, but within normal human range."

"Right." Tony gently placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder and said, "Hey, Bruce?"

Bruce bolted upright. He shielded his face with his hands, breathing heavily. 

"Hey, it's okay, you're okay," Tony said. "It's just me. You just fell asleep at your desk. At Stark Tower."

Bruce hesitantly removed his hands from his face and wrapped his arms around himself. He was shivering and he looked up at Tony with a haunted expression.

"Sorry, Big Guy. I...I get nightmares too, I…" Tony looked around the workshop and spotted an old MIT hoodie. He picked it up and offered it to Bruce, who was still shaking. "You cold?"

He kept thrusting the hoodie at Bruce until Bruce finally pulled it on over his black polo shirt. The hood caught on Bruce's unruly hair. Bruce left it up and tucked his hands into the hoodie's front pocket, making him look somehow younger than his hard-won forty-something. "Thanks. Sorry," Bruce mumbled. He pushed the hood back off his head and said, "I, uh, I'm going to bed…" He rose to his feet unsteadily.

"No—wait, are—uh, do you want some tea? Or...something?" Tony asked. He knew caretaking wasn't his strongest skill set, but Bruce's face worried him. He tried to think what Pepper might do. "Er...we could watch a movie? I just...you don't have to be alone. If you don't want to be."

Bruce shook his head. "No, I...thanks. But, um, good night." He brushed past Tony and made his way out of the workshop.

Tony sighed. "JARVIS, let me know if...if he needs anything, okay?"

"Certainly, sir."

But Tony didn't hear a word from JARVIS or Bruce for the rest of the night. Bruce wasn't up at his usual time, but he eventually drifted into the workshop, a mug of coffee in one hand and Tony's hoodie in the other.

He held the hoodie out to Tony. "Here...I washed it."

Tony blinked for a moment, inhaling the smell of detergent. "Were you doing laundry this morning?" Bruce nodded, and Tony said, "Okay, well...you didn't have to worry about that. Why don't you just keep the sweatshirt? It looked better on you anyway, as difficult as it is for me to say that."

Bruce hesitated, but Tony said, "Seriously, no take-backs," and went back to his work. 

Eventually, Bruce said, "Well...thanks," and retreated with the hoodie still in hand. A few minutes later he called, "Hey, did you think about using a zeta function with that data set?"

"Brilliant idea," Tony replied with a smile.

* * *

4)

In the months since the Chitauri Attack, innumerable people—under the guidance of Tony's Damage Control initiative—had been working around the clock to restore New York City to its questionable former glory. Stark Tower was still being rebuilt, better than ever. And Bruce was still there, slowly coming out of his shell.

Bruce served as a quietly steady presence even as Tony started feeling increasingly out of control. He knew he wasn't sleeping much, even for him, but there was just so much work to do and so few people who understood what needed to be done. Tony could rest when everything was fixed, when everyone was safe again.

At least today he had some good news. When Bruce padded into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee, Tony nearly pounced on him.

Startled, Bruce said, "Oh, Tony! Uh...good morning!"

"Hi Brucie, I have a surprise for you!"

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Oh?"

"A nice surprise. A gift. Here!" Tony handed over a shiny gift bag.

Bruce took a careful sip of coffee before opening the bag. He pulled out a long white lab coat and tilted his head at Tony. "Is there a new dress code in your workshop?"

"No, obviously not, but, you know, I just thought you might want to have one in _your_ lab." Bruce blinked, and Tony continued, "That's the other part of the gift. The main part, actually, I guess, you know, technically speaking. Anyway, let me show you! Put on your lab coat, c'mon!"

Bruce looked a bit skeptical, but he pulled on the lab coat over his Oxford shirt. He picked up his coffee and followed Tony. Tony kept up a running commentary as they made their way to the elevator. "I can't wait for you to see it, it's been so hard keeping it a surprise! It's really state of the art…okay, here, see, just two floors above my main workshop, you can work with JARVIS to program the hand-scanner, right now the only people it will let in without permission are you and me...okay! Smell that new lab smell, right?"

He watched expectantly as Bruce walked around the lab, quietly inspecting pieces of equipment. He said nothing, but that wasn't unusual for Bruce. Still, Tony had the familiar feeling that his gift hadn't quite hit the mark. Tony loved the _idea_ of giving gifts; he certainly had the money to spend, and he wanted to spend it on the people he cared about. But it was so hard for him to figure out what things people might like. It was easier when, like Pepper, he could ask people to buy their own gifts. But he knew that approach wouldn't work with Bruce. Anyway, he really had thought that he'd gotten this right. What could Bruce possibly like more than science?

Tony added, "I tried to think of everything you'd need for your specialities, but if I forgot anything, just let JARVIS know, he'll help you order anything. Seriously, anything."

Bruce nodded slowly. "Of course. Thank you."

Tony knew that Bruce was a reserved person; he hadn't expected him to jump up and down, shouting with joy or anything. But he had been looking forward to at least seeing Bruce smile when he saw his new lab. "What is it? Did...did I leave out something? You don't like the color? We can repaint. Or get new furniture?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh, I forgot to mention, it has the same security measures as we put in my workshop, for, you know, the Other Guy." Tony really didn't think those were necessary, but they did seem to make Bruce feel better.

Bruce managed a small, obviously-forced smile. "No. No, it's great. Thank you. I'll just go...get my things from your workshop."

Tony trailed after him as Bruce went back to his workstation in Tony's workshop, where he had accumulated a small collection of personal effects. The majority of them—water bottle, mug, pencils—bore a Stark Industries logo. Bruce also kept Tony's old MIT hoodie there; he wore it often, claiming that his years in India had rendered him sensitive to air conditioning.

Tony felt a pang as Bruce packed up. "I mean...I mean, you don't have to take everything up there, you know," Tony said. "There's some other mugs and stuff there. You, ah, you might want to come back and work on things down here, sometimes."

"I—I wouldn't want to get in your way. I'm sure you'll be happy to have your workshop back."

"Bruce! You're never in the way," Tony said, as he finally realized what Bruce's problem with the new lab was. "Really, as far as I'm concerned you can stay down here forever. I just—I just thought you might like to have your own space. You know, I know there's some equipment you might like to have, for your research interests...and I'm sure sometimes you'd like to have some peace and quiet without me blasting music and talking your ear off. Just a place to call your own."

Bruce let out a breath and nodded. He set his mug back down on his desk. "Oh. I see. Well, I really appreciate it. It's just that, I, uh, I like working with you," he said shyly. "I wouldn't want to think I was bothering you."

Tony clapped a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Of course you're not! Well, maybe sometimes when you try to switch my coffee out for tea…"

"Just think you could do with a little less caffeine," Bruce mumbled.

Tony grinned. "I know you're a certified genius and all, but I just can't believe you're right about that."

Bruce offered a tentative return smile.

Tony added, "You can take that tea kettle up to your lab. But you can come back down here any time you want the good stuff." He nodded at the coffee pot.

"Thanks, Tony, I'm sure I will." Bruce looked down at his small collection of items and said, "Well...I guess I'll go get settled in upstairs...take that spectroradiometer for a test drive. But, um, if you need me, well, you'll know where to find me."

"I sure do."

Bruce took his things upstairs and Tony was left alone in the workshop. Well, he still had JARVIS, and the bots, but...it wasn't the same. He turned his music up even louder and tried to lose himself in his work. And to some extent, it worked, because he was surprised when he looked up from his 3D modeling and saw Bruce, wearing his lab coat and a hesitant expression.

"Brucie! What's up?"

"Well—I was just going to make some lunch for myself, but I thought I'd see if you'd eaten anything yet?"

Tony had in fact had a few handfuls of jelly beans over the course of the morning, but he wasn't sure if Bruce would count that. "I could eat," he allowed. "You don't have to cook, we can order something."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I got that bread you like from the farmer's market yesterday, so I was going to make sandwiches? It'll get stale soon…"

Tony smiled. "Well. Wouldn't want it to go to waste. But hey, we'll have to get you a chef's coat to wear over your lab coat…"

Bruce looked down, as if he were surprised to see what he was wearing. "Ha. Right," he said. He shrugged off the coat and left it over his usual chair. "Anyway, I can have JARVIS let you know when lunch is ready?"

"Nah, I'll come with you. I'm at a good stopping point. And I like to see you work in your other lab."

Bruce laughed, but he didn't object when Tony followed him to the kitchen, not even when Tony rejected all of Bruce's highly-experimental sandwich toppings.

* * *

5)

"So how are things working out with Dr. Banner?" asked Maria Hill. She was wearing a sleek black dress instead of her usual tactical gear, but Tony was pretty sure she still had at least three weapons on her.

Tony sipped his champagne and glanced around the ballroom. He knew Bruce was nervous about attending the party, supposedly a celebration of the completed New York City recovery efforts. Really, SHIELD wanted to check in on the Avengers--which was going to be easier for them than ever now that Stark Tower was serving as an official Avengers HQ. But Tony wanted an excuse for a party, and he was paying for everything, so here they were. Bruce had been less enthused about the party; Tony had promised to help keep reporters away from him, but people kept trying to talk to Tony and Bruce had wandered off. Tony finally spotted Bruce, wearing the new suit Tony had bought him for the occasion and having a quiet conversation with Steve and Rhodey.

Tony relaxed, knowing Bruce was in good hands, and far enough away that he couldn't hear himself being talked about. He smiled and answered Hill's question. "Great. Couldn't ask for a better lab partner."

"He's really two lab partners, though, isn't he?" Hill asked pointedly.

"I'm telling you, Bruce has got his alter ego under control. The Other Guy's not going to come out unless we need him to."

"You seem pretty sure of that," Natasha said.

Tony turned and looked at her. "You should really wear a bell around your neck or something! How long have you been standing there?" She smirked and shrugged. Tony said, "Well...I'm glad to have Bruce here. For as long as he wants to stay. And if SHIELD thinks they can just—"

Hill held up one hand. "Stand down, Stark. We're happy to have Banner where he is. I really was just curious. You two are kind of an odd couple."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do I really need to spell it out?" Hill asked. "I mean, for starters, you're a billionaire and Bruce has been living in the slums for the last five years."

Tony grimaced; he hated to be reminded of Bruce's life on the run. "Well, now we both have the same address."

"Okay, but then there's...well, a bit of a personality mismatch, isn't there?"

"I don't know," Natasha said thoughtfully. "I guess you're both smarter than is good for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

As if summoned by their conversation, Bruce and Steve drifted over to join Tony's small group. They exchanged pleasantries. Natasha sized Bruce up and said, "Wow, you clean up nicely."

Bruce blushed slightly and said, "Uh. Thanks. You, um, look nice too."

Clint joined them and said, "I dunno, I kinda miss that purple shirt you had. Remember?"

Bruce quirked his lips. "Yeah, that was my best shirt at the time. Believe it or not, I was hoping to make a good first impression."

"You did!" Tony replied.

Bruce shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, covering up most of his crisp white dress shirt.

"Yeah, I wasn't kidding. Purple's a great color," Clint said.

"I guess we can't all get government-issued spy suits," Bruce said.

"What, you want one? I bet we could get you one," Clint replied.

Bruce shook his head. "Nah. Clothes aren't a good investment for me. The Other Guy is pretty rough on them."

"Anyway, government-issued suits aren't all they're cracked up to be," Steve said. 

"I guess it's moot for me anyway," Bruce said, with his signature smile that conveyed no actual happiness. Tony remembered the conversation they'd had on the helicarrier, about how everyone else got to suit up whereas Bruce had described himself—Hulk—as an "exposed nerve." More in reaction to the ache that memory caused him than to any actual disarray in Bruce's attire, Tony reached over and absently adjusted Bruce's purple bow tie.

Bruce flinched minutely. He glanced around the small group and said, "I, ah, I'm going to get a drink, anybody else want anything?" No one did.

Tony watched Bruce go, hoping he hadn't made him feel too awkward, until Steve asked, "Hey, Tony, is Pepper coming tonight? I haven't seen her."

Tony snapped his gaze back to Steve and said, "Oh. Ah, she's in Malibu, you know, running SI's day-to-day stuff."

"Oh. Sorry, I guess I assumed there was a New York office."

"No, there is, it's just, you know, easier for the CEO to be near Silicon Valley."

Steve nodded sympathetically. "Long distance relationships are hard, though."

"...Yeah," Tony said. "Well, we're kind of—we've—it's complicated."

"Oh," Steve said, obviously uncomfortable. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Tony waved a hand. "It's not prying, any gossip magazine in the country could have told you the same thing weeks ago."

"Still, I...that sounds hard."

Tony shrugged and aimed to redirect the conversation. "Compared to dragging a nuke through a wormhole? No big deal. Hey, uh, how about you? You seeing anyone? I'm sure you must have offers."

"Yeah, Steve, are you seeing anyone?" Natasha asked, her tone knowing.

Steve stammered out something and Tony took his chance to slip away. He nodded at some reporters, ignored a couple of politicians, and made his way to the bar. He swapped his empty champagne flute out for a nice Scotch, all the while scanning the crowd for Bruce. Then he had a burst of insight and went out to the balcony.

Sure enough, he spotted the back of a familiar floppy-haired head, leaning over the railing. Tony slid next to Bruce and said, "Hey, how's the party?"

Bruce turned to him, a mildly panicked look in his eyes. "Oh. It's, um, nice."

Tony laughed. "You're the worst liar."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Then why do you ask questions if you already know the answer?"

"Fair point. I guess what I meant to ask was, anything I can do to make the party more tolerable for you?"

Bruce licked his lips and gazed back over the city skyline. Tony put a hand on Bruce's shoulder and Bruce turned back to look into Tony's eyes. A number of emotions flitted across Bruce's open face: wariness, fear, confusion—_desire_? Tony was almost certain...his heart leapt and he moved his hand from Bruce's shoulder to his smooth cheek. He leaned in, closer to Bruce's lips. Bruce froze, his eyes wide. "Tony, I…"

And then the door from the ballroom opened, and Rhodey stuck his head out onto the balcony. "Tony! Hey, I—oh, sorry…"

Without saying a word, Bruce turned and bolted to a side door; Bruce always made it a point to know every available exit. Tony let out a little hiss of frustration and rubbed his face with his hand.

Rhodey came in closer. "Hey. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt anything…"

"It's fine. It wasn't anything."

"Hm. Well, maybe that's for the best."

"What?"

"I mean, no offense, but maybe you could pick somebody else for your rebound?"

"I—that's not—that's not what this is."

"If you say so. Just looking out for you, man."

"Bruce wouldn't hurt a fly! I mean he literally won't, the other day there was one in the lab and he spent like twenty minutes figuring out how to humanely get it out of there…" Tony said, the memory bringing a soft smile to his face.

"Well. Maybe Bruce wouldn't, but he's not always Bruce, is he?" Rhodey asked gently.

"He has the Other Guy under control."

"Okay. Well...there's also the potential for some real awkwardness if you decide to move on and, you know, you two still gotta fight aliens together."

"That's—I wouldn't—I care about him."

Rhodey nodded. "Okay. Just think about it, is all I'm saying." He pursed his lips. 

"Right. Yeah," Tony said. "Uh, were you looking for me for a reason?"

"Oh—yeah, wanted you on my beer pong team!"

Tony took a split-second to consider; he wanted to follow after Bruce, but maybe Rhodey was right. Rhodey was probably right. Bruce had already been through enough without getting dragged into Tony's drama. He clapped his arm around Rhodey's shoulder and said, "Lead the way, Platypus!"

He played okay, but not his best; he couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened if Rhodey hadn't popped out on the balcony when he had. He and Rhodey still beat Steve and Hill, but it was a much tighter match than he would have preferred. They won the rematch, too, and then Tony and Rhodey had some more drinks after that, and then things got a bit fuzzy. 

The next morning, Tony woke up still wearing his beer-spattered Armani shirt. His hangover was fairly mild compared to many he'd had in the past, but he'd sort of gotten out of the habit of having hangovers. After Pepper had left for Malibu, he'd started spending more time with Bruce, who was more of a "quiet night in" kinda guy. It wasn't as boring as Tony had feared.

Tony rubbed his aching forehead and eventually managed to shower and drag himself down to the kitchen. There was hot coffee in the pot, for which he silently thanked Bruce. He forced down two cups of coffee and a couple of painkillers, and then he went down to his workshop, for lack of anything else to do. It was empty, which wasn't exactly out of the ordinary—Bruce had slowly become accustomed to using his own lab, and Tony knew he'd been working on some kind of particle acceleration project that was better suited to Bruce's work space. Bruce came and went as he pleased, but Tony had started to trust that Bruce would always, eventually, come back.

But after last night's awkward cutoff, Bruce's absence felt...intentional. Tony stared at the 3D blueprints he'd been working on but couldn't quite make sense of them. Too much of his brainpower was dedicated to worrying about if he'd misinterpreted Bruce, if he'd been too forward, if he'd put too much pressure on his shy houseguest...if Rhodey was right, and Tony shouldn't risk a romantic connection with a teammate…

He was sitting at his workstation, morosely spinning around a 3D gauntlet model with his finger, when the workshop doors slid open. Bruce was there, wearing a Stark Industries polo shirt and a tentative expression on his face. He was holding a paper bag. "Hey, Tony, how's it going?"

Tony forced a smile. "Peachy-keen!"

"Hmm. Well, I, uh, thought you could use some lunch? JARVIS said you hadn't eaten yet."

"JARVIS is such a tattletale…" Tony said, and then he took a closer look at the bag. "Did you go to Burger King for me?"

Bruce gave a little one-shoulder shrug and set the bag on the end of Tony's workstation.

"God, Bruce, you're incredible," Tony said, reaching greedily for the bag. It smelled amazing.

Bruce smiled and sat down next to Tony. He started eating onion rings and telling Tony about a research breakthrough he'd had earlier that morning. Even though Tony was still at least 25% hungover, Bruce's brilliant enthusiasm cheered him up, maybe even more than the burger did. Tony affectionately bumped his shoulder against Bruce's. It was nice. It was enough, he told himself.

* * *

*) 

Tony scanned his hand at the door of Bruce's lab and bounded in. "Hey Bruce, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Bruce looked up from his workstation with the hint of a smile. He gestured at the simulation in front of him and said, "More of this, probably."

Tony shook his head. "Okay, but what if instead...you came with me to a conference?"

"Oh, no, I don't know…" Bruce said, but his tone was wistful, and Tony continued his invitation.

"C'mon. I'm giving a keynote speech and I'd love to have you in the audience."

"I'll watch it online."

"I could use a Hindi translator."

"My Hindi's rusty...where's the conference?"

"Kolkata, the ICSTEM."

"Ah, you won't need a translator, everyone you'd want to talk to will speak English. And if they don't, the primary language there is Bengali, not Hindi."

"Oh. Right. Well, I bet you know that one too, right?" Bruce shrugged in a way that Tony knew meant 'yes.' Tony nodded. "See! So you can order for me in restaurants! You can do that thing you like to do where you trick me into eating superhumanly spicy stuff."

"_You_ stealing food off my plate isn't a trick _I'm_ playing on you."

"Still, you should really know better by now," Tony said airily. He could see the amusement in Bruce's eyes, and he brought out his next point. "Helen Cho will be presenting."

Bruce tapped his fingers on the desk and looked down at his screen, then up at Tony. "We'll have to go out for kulfi falooda."

Tony grinned. "Whatever you say, Big Guy. Now go pack a bag, the jet's leaving in half an hour."

"You couldn't have given me some advance notice?"

"What, and give you more time to think of excuses not to go?"

"...Fine. What should I wear?"

"Bruce, I know you've been out of the game for a little while but it's still a science conference. You can wear whatever you want. It's going to be university-branded polo shirts and nerdy pun T-shirts as far as the eye can see." Tony knew for a fact that Bruce had plenty of both. After a moment, he added, "Maybe a sweater for if you get cold."

Bruce smiled. "Right. Okay, well...I'll be right back."

True to his word, Bruce returned shortly thereafter with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"That was fast."

"I'm a pretty experienced packer," Bruce said drily.

"Ah. Right." Tony still hated to think of Bruce's years on the run. "Well...let's get out of here!" 

Bruce saved his work and locked up his lab. He followed Tony, and they had a long but uneventful journey to Kolkata. Bruce read through the conference program, getting excited about various scheduled speakers. Tony could tell Bruce was still anxious, but not unmanageably so. They both even managed to get some sleep on the flight.

Tony checked them into the conference hotel—he'd booked them two adjoining rooms. "Okay, let's shower and change, get some coffee, and head over to the hall."

"What time are you speaking?"

"In," Tony checked his watch, "an hour and twenty minutes." It had taken him less time to convince Bruce than he'd anticipated. 

Bruce's eyebrows raised. "I'll be quick."

"Eh, they won't start without me. I'm the opening keynote."

Bruce shook his head and disappeared into his room. Tony took his time getting ready; he'd meant what he said, they wouldn't start without him. When he was finally dressed and styled to his standards, Bruce was standing outside his door with two big paper cups. He handed one to Tony, who took a grateful sip; it was just how he liked it.

Once caffeinated, he smiled at Bruce's khakis and purple Oxford. "Hey, nice shirt!"

Bruce self-consciously plucked at it. "Yeah, funny story, it was hanging up in the bathroom of my room with a note that said 'Wear me.' I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

"This hotel has amazing service."

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, you know, you lost that other one, but I knew you'd gotten it here in the city, so, I made a few calls…"

Bruce shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "You know, I had plenty of shirts."

"Yeah, but that one looked so good on you. I thought you'd like to make a good first impression on the conference."

"Well—well, that's very nice of you, Tony, thank you. Um, can we go, now, please? I know you're not worried about being late, but...I am?"

"Fine with me, green bean." Tony casually slung an arm around Bruce's shoulders and guided him through the labyrinthine hotel to the hall where he'd be speaking. It was already packed, and Tony blithely checked in with his designated handler, who was clearly on the verge of a panic attack. They found a place for Bruce to watch from backstage, and Tony started his speech on time. Well, a few minutes late, but basically on time.

He spoke about green energy, about SI's commitment to creating a better world not just for the next generation, but for right now. He demonstrated his new prototype water purifier and pledged his intent to distribute them widely, in addition to pledging Stark Foundation money to upgrade infrastructure in developing nations. And he managed to make it all sound _interesting_.

The crowd loved it, and more importantly, when he walked off stage, he could tell that Bruce did too. Bruce gave him an excited hug and said, "Tony, that was amazing!"

Tony smiled. "Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal."

"Seriously, that's going to improve so many people's lives…"

"I couldn't have done it without you. Or, I dunno, I guess I could have, but it would have taken way longer and been a lot more boring, so." Bruce laughed and shook his head, but Tony insisted, "I'm serious!"

"Well, whatever," Bruce said, always eager to deflect a compliment. "What's next on your agenda?"

"Your pick!" 

"Oh. Well, in salon B there was this panel about new trends in Nonequilibrium Stochastic Multistable Systems and Memristors that sounded pretty interesting?"

"Mm, sexy," Tony said.

"What?"

"I mean...lead the way."

They spent the day following each other around the conference, getting new ideas and avoiding anyone who seemed too interested in either of them. Finally, the day's events wound down and Tony said, "So, ready for dinner?"

"Sure."

"Remember, you said you'd order for me."

Bruce grinned. "I did, didn't I?" And then Bruce led Tony out of the hotel, away from the glossy towncars and into a deathtrap of a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw. They squeezed in the backseat together and Bruce spoke to the driver in a language that didn't sound at all rusty to Tony's ears. In deference to the sweltering heat, Tony took off his blazer and shoved it in his messenger bag, and Bruce rolled up the sleeves of his purple Oxford.

The driver stopped and Bruce paid and (Tony presumed) thanked him. Tony squinted through his sunglasses as they climbed down into a crowded mess of small stalls, most of which featured wooden benches covered by tarps. Tony trailed behind as Bruce surveyed the stalls. Tony enjoyed the anonymity of the crowd while Bruce took his time before eventually stopped to ordering something. He offered Tony some delicious, spicy crispy concoction. Tony took a cautious bite, but quickly devoured it. 

"Still hungry?" Bruce asked.

"Could eat," Tony allowed. They'd skipped lunch.

Bruce led Tony through a trail of fried foods, carbs, and perfectly ripe fresh fruits, all of which Tony had to admit were delicious. Too, Tony liked watching Bruce interact with the vendors. They all seemed a little surprised to hear their native language coming out of Bruce's mouth, but always pleased. And Bruce seemed to enjoy talking to them. 

Tony had gotten used to thinking of Bruce as a bit of a recluse, but that wasn't quite right. Bruce was guarded, reserved, but...Bruce liked people. He was happy to talk to them, if he knew they weren't trying to lock him up or worse. It was a bit of a relief for Tony to see Bruce like this; Tony had imagined that Bruce's years on the run must have been desperately lonely for him. And of course, they must have been, but...still, Bruce would have been able to make friends wherever he went. The thought was reassuring, though he still hoped he'd convinced Bruce to stay with him long-term.

Oblivious to Tony's inner monologue, Bruce licked some spicy green sauce off his lips and asked, "Did you save room for dessert?"

"Always," Tony said, patting his stomach. "Lead on."

Bruce found another stall and came back with a monstrosity of a beverage, with two straws. With a crooked smile he said, "I wasn't sure if this would be to your taste, so I figured we could share it...and maybe get another one if you like it."

"That sounds like a challenge," Tony said. Then he peered at the glass. "Is that a spaghetti milkshake?"

"Um...not exactly."

"But not 'no.'"

"Well...just try it."

Tony took a hesitant bite. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be," he admitted. "What is it?"

"Kulfi falooda, it's a kind of ice cream soda with vermicelli in it. For texture. I know it's kind of an acquired taste but I, uh, acquired it, and I've been craving one."

Tony relinquished his share of the odd dessert and just took pleasure in watching Bruce enjoy it, although Bruce also got some more conventional Western ice cream for Tony. 

"Do you want to go back to the hotel? Or we could keep walking around?" Bruce asked.

Tony was sweating through his kitten-print T-shirt, but he wanted to keep seeing this side of Bruce. "Let's stay out for a bit. I'm not ready to turn into a pumpkin just yet."

Bruce smiled. He bought Tony a bottle of water and then took Tony's hand to guide him around the market. Tony was pretty sure Bruce hadn't meant anything by it, he'd just wanted to keep Tony from wandering off into traffic, but he had no complaints. They walked together and chatted until they were both nearly delirious from jet lag, but Tony didn't want to call it a night until Bruce did. 

Finally, disappointingly, Bruce yawned and said, "Maybe we should head back to the hotel?"

"Sure, if you want to."

Bruce dropped Tony's hand to flag down another death-defying ride back to their hotel. In the hallway outside their rooms, Tony said, "See? If you hadn't come with me, I'm sure I would have just eaten at the hotel restaurant, and then I really would have missed out. Thanks for coming."

Bruce smiled. "Well, if you hadn't invited me, I probably would have eaten a sandwich in the kitchen, so...thank _you_." And then he _looked_ at Tony in a way that made Tony suck in a sharp breath.

Tony licked his lips and held Bruce's gaze for a long moment. "Bruce, I want to be really clear, I _didn't_ invite you to this conference to get into your pants." Bruce blinked and nodded, a flash of hurt on his face. Tony continued, "So if you want to just go to your room, I'll wish you a good night."

Almost inaudibly, Bruce said, "And if I don't?"

Tony cupped Bruce's cheek in his hand and said, "If you don't...well, I guarantee Rhodey won't be here to interrupt anything."

A small smile grew on Bruce's lips before he leaned in and kissed Tony. Tony kissed him back for a long moment, tasting the complex sweetness of Indian desserts on his lips. Then he pulled away and said, breathlessly, "So, my room?"

"Uh-huh."

Tony unlocked the door and dragged Bruce inside, directly to the room's large, ornate bed. He fingered the ornate buttons on Bruce's new purple shirt. "This shirt really does look good on you," he said. It was a high-quality shirt, custom-tailored to Bruce's measurements, crisp yet soft. "But I think it would look even better on my floor."

Bruce laughed. "That's such a cheesy line…" But then Tony started deliberately unbuttoning Bruce's shirt, and Bruce stopped laughing. He watched Tony, transfixed, until Tony had unbuttoned the shirt and flung it on the ground. Tony has seen Bruce without his shirt before, of course, but post-Hulk shirtless Bruce, shy and exhausted, was one thing. Post-dinner shirtless Bruce, sweaty and wide-eyed in Tony’s bed, was another thing altogether. 

And then Bruce reached out and slipped his hand under the hem of Tony’s T-shirt, a questioning look in his eyes. Tony nodded. "Go on…" He helped Bruce peel the shirt over his head and felt Bruce’s gaze on him. Bruce had seen Tony shirtless too, had even helped him with maintenance for the arc reactor in his chest. But this was different, too. 

Tony reached out and ran a hand over Bruce’s arm, smiling when he elicited a gasp and a shiver. The air conditioning was chilly, but Tony didn't think that was the cause. "We’re just getting started, babe. Unless you want to stop? We can stop if you want…" He offered reluctantly. He really didn't want Bruce to feel pressured into doing anything.

"I don’t want to stop," Bruce said breathlessly. "I just, it’s been a long time, and, you’re so…" 

"I’m so what?" Tony maneuvered himself to straddle Bruce’s lap and look down at him. 

Bruce tipped his mouth up to whisper into Tony’s ear, "You’re so good, so handsome and so good, and I just—I know you deserve someone better than me but I want you anyway…"

Tony gently pushed Bruce down on his back and laid on his chest. "Wrong. I mean not about me being handsome, that’s pretty true, but the part about me deserving better...or, well, I don’t know what I deserve, but I want you too." He kissed Bruce now, with more intensity than before. He kissed Bruce the way he deserved to be kissed. 

They took their time, kissing and caressing and whispering all sorts of sweet nothings, but eventually they did manage to get into each other’s pants. Though Tony had meant it when he’d told Bruce this wasn’t why he’d invited Bruce to the conference, he’d still had a glimmer of optimism when he’d packed his toiletry bag, and so he was well-prepared for where the night led them. 

Spent and sleep-deprived, Tony curled up against Bruce’s bare chest and idly ran a finger through Bruce’s thicket of chest hair. "Mm. You really do look good without a shirt."

Bruce laughed softly. "I’m glad you think so."

"Kinda makes me regret giving you so many shirts."

"No take-backs."

"No take-backs," Tony agreed solemnly. 

Bruce yawned loudly. "Sorry. Tired. Um. Do you want me to stay tonight, or…?"

"Stay," Tony said immediately. "Uh...unless you don’t want to?" 

"No, I...I do."

"Good." The travels and the day's exertions were catching up with him; he suddenly felt a bone-deep exhaustion. Tony yawned, too, then wrapped his arms around Bruce’s waist and drifted into a peaceful sleep, free of the terrible nightmares that so frequently plagued him these days. And when he awoke in the morning, he discovered that Bruce had indeed stayed, and that he looked even cuter with bedhead. 

They didn’t see much else at the conference that week, but it was still an incredibly educational experience for the two of them. And when it was finally time to return to New York, Bruce pulled his new purple shirt back on and reminded Tony of his good fortune all over again.

**Author's Note:**

> Just for the record, in the actual schwarma scene, everyone except Tony and Bruce are wearing their Avengers costumes. Tony's wearing the layered T-shirts he was wearing earlier, but Bruce is wearing some entirely new black button-down shirt. Where did he get it? I reject that shirt and substitute my own. By which I mean, Tony's.


End file.
